The Guy Whose Parents Pay for Everything
by hyperpsychomaniac
Summary: Lego City Undercover. Sequel to 'The Guy Who Gets the Donuts'. With his parents no longer paying to cover his stuff ups as a cop, Frank is trying to adjust to being responsible for his own actions. Things are complicated when Ellie is kidnapped.
1. Chapter 1

Chase McCain drove into the Lego City Police Department parking lot, humming to himself. He may have been 'stuck' with Frank as his partner, but ever since Frank had told his parents he no longer wanted them paying the police department off to allow him to keep his job, the younger officer had become more careful. So far, he had broken nothing beyond small pieces of equipment easily covered by the LCPD's budget. Not that that stopped Chief Dunby yelling at him. And at Chase.

"Chase!" Frank burst out the station's doors, leaving them swinging.

"Frank, let me get out." Chase began to open his car door but thought better of it. He clicked it shut as Frank slammed into the window. Chase winced. "Ow?"

Frank yanked open the door. "I need your help!"

"Calm down," said Chase as he was hauled from the vehicle. "What's wrong? Did you jam the photocopier again?"

Frank spluttered, grasping at Chase's sleeve. "I… it's…"

This was more than the usual level of panic over office equipment. Chase put a hand on Frank's shoulder. "Steady Frank, just tell me what happened. Did you crash one of the cruisers? Even I've done that before. If you were in a pursuit or on police business…"

"It's Ellie. I just got a call from her. Well, I thought it was her, it was her number, but it was this guy and he said… Ellie's been kidnapped, Chase! He wanted a ransom. A million studs. I can't pay that. I'm going to have to ask my parents." Frank swallowed hard. His parents may have honoured his request to stop paying off the police department, but Chase knew they hadn't taken it well. Frank hadn't spoken to them in over a month.

Chase's fists tensed. "Ellie? Don't worry about your parents, Frank. You won't need their money, cause we're not paying that ransom. We're cops. And you don't mess with one of our own."

"I don't want her to get hurt."

"She won't. Come on." Chase turned towards the station. "We'll find Ellie and make whoever's taken her regret it. No one's going to be sitting down on the job for this."

* * *

Ellie woke to a blinding headache. She blinked. "Where the heck am I?"

A dark room slowly came into focus. Too small for a warehouse. The floor was concrete and bare, save for the chair Ellie found herself in. A single dim bulb hung from the ceiling. Stairs led upward, and a crack of light illuminated the edge of a door. One exit.

Ellie's heart started to hammer. Her hands were bound behind her, but there was wiggle room in her bonds and they felt rough and abrasive, like rope. She began to shift her wrists.

"I wouldn't bother struggling if I were you." The voice was deep, ominous. A figure moved from the shadows, stepping into the glow from the single bulb. "Just chill. All I want is money. Your boyfriend will bring that to me soon enough."

Ellie slowed in her fight with the questionably secure bonds. "Frank? Just so you know: he doesn't have access to as much money as he used to. He's dealing with a few family issues right now." Not the wisest thing to tell this guy, but Ellie didn't plan on waiting around for a ransom.

"Oh, I'm sure his parents will help him if he begs." The figure was wearing a hood, most of his face concealed. But Ellie could just see the glint of a piece of jewellery that pierced his upper lip. She cringed. She'd always thought that looked awful, especially that one Frank's 'friend' had. She squinted. "That doesn't seem to surprise you… Blake?"

"What? Um, no…" Blake tried to make his voice higher pitched as he tugged his hood down further.

"Ugh, seriously?" Ellie rolled her eyes, and squirmed harder. Her hand slipped from the jumble of poorly tied knots. She flung the rope into the corner.

"Wait, what? How'd you do that?"

Blake was not the sharpest tool in the shed. Nor the nicest. His questionable taste in jewellery was not in the only thing Ellie disliked about the man. "Learn to tie a knot, genius. And learn how to be a better friend while you're at it."

Blake pulled the now useless hood back. "What the heck are you talking about?"

"Frank tells me used to hang out all the time. But now that he's no longer getting to use his parents pool, or buying you ice cream and car parts, you don't want to know him. And he's still making excuses for you – you're too busy, you've got stuff on – but don't think I don't know you were just using him."

"Yeah, so what? The guy's an idiot. Sure, he's entertaining enough when he gets a party started, but it's no fun if he can't afford a sweet location. I mean, his house is dangerous! Last time I was there he put his toaster in the sink to soak because he said it always smelled like burning."

"Well, don't expect me to be a part of your little scheme." Ellie moved towards the door.

Blake stepped in front of her. "I can't let you go. I need this."

"Sorry."

"No." Blake grabbed Ellie by the shoulder and pinned her against the wall, then slapped her. "You're going to help me whether you like it or not. I need what they're paying me…"

Ellie jabbed him hard in the solar plexus. Blake doubled over. She followed with a punch square to the jaw that sent him crumpling to the floor. She slapped her handcuffs on him – he hadn't even taken them off her! Then punched him again as he struggled to sit up.

Blake started blubbering. "I'm sorry. Please stop hitting me!"

Ellie's fist was drawn back, but she lowered it as her anger waned. "I knew I didn't like you for a reason!"

"I didn't even hit you that hard," Blake sobbed.

"Seriously? I tried to be nice and not arrest you. Even after how you treated Frank. You've missed your chance now. You know how much trouble you're going to be in for kidnapping a police officer?" She reached to haul him off the floor.

Blake cringed. "No, don't hurt me. I'll tell you everything!"

"Yeah, I get it. You wanted money off Frank, so you cooked up this idea to…"

"No." Blake sat up and wiped at his nose. "I'm already getting paid to kidnap you and demand a ransom. Doesn't matter if I get any money out of Frank. And they came to me! I won't get in as much trouble if kidnapping you wasn't my idea, right?"

Ellie frowned. "Maybe. If what you're telling me is true. Blake, who asked you to do this?"

* * *

**A/n: **Been playing this game again. So much fun. And got it into my head to write another fanfic. Frank is adorable. Enjoy, and please leave me a review!


	2. Chapter 2

The Lego City Police station was bustling with activity. Every officer on duty had donned a bullet proof vest, collected their weapons, and were milling around in the parking lot. A half dozen cop cars rumbled in waiting. Even Chief Dunby was outside, though he grumbled and griped at anyone nearby.

Frank rearranged his bullet proof vest nervously. "What are we waiting for? We need to find Ellie."

"We don't know where she is yet," said Chase. "Why don't you call her phone and…"

A blue, hotted up vehicle tore into the parking lot. It screeched to a halt, pulling in perfectly beside one of the police cruisers. The smell of burnt rubber wafted into the air.

"The heck?" said Chief Dunby. "What does this idiot think he's doing?"

"That's Blake's car," said Frank. "That's weird. He usually avoids driving by the police station. I know 'cause he never gave me a lift…" Frank's voice caught in his throat.

Ellie stepped out of Blake's driver's side door. Her hair and clothing were ruffled, but otherwise she appeared unharmed.

"Ellie!" said Chase. "You had us worried sick."

Frank threw his arms around her, burying his face against her shoulder.

"I'm fine. You okay, Frank?"

"You sure? Some guy called on your phone and said he'd kidnapped you." Frank pointed at the police vehicles. "We were coming to make him regret it."

Ellie raised an eyebrow. "Regret it? I think we're only supposed to arrest them."

Chase rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess we got a bit carried away. But we are glad you're okay."

"But what happened to the kidnapper, Ellie? And why are you driving my friend Blake's car?"

Chase's eyes narrowed. "Wait. You mean that jerk of a friend who won't talk to Frank anymore? This is his car?"

"Yup," said Ellie.

"That was the most convenient form of transport after some mysterious person kidnapped you…"

"Uh-huh."

Frank glanced between the two of them. "Guys, stop it. I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Frank, I'm so sorry," said Ellie. "But Blake isn't your friend."

"I told you, he's been busy…"

Ellie hauled Blake out of the passenger side of his car. He stared sullenly at the ground. He was in handcuffs, and one cheekbone was blackening with a bruise.

Frank gasped. "Did they kidnap Blake too?"

Blake's brow crinkled, and he finally looked up. "How stupid are you?"

"Oh, be quiet," Ellie snapped.

Blake flinched.

"Frank, sweetheart, Blake was the one who kidnapped me."

It took a few long seconds to sink in. Frank stared at Ellie. Then at the handcuffs, then up at Blake. "Blake, how could you? Why?"

"Are you kidding me? You had to go man up to your parents, didn't you? And now you have nothing to buy anything or throw any good parties."

"What does that have to do with Ellie?"

"Please, you go on about her enough. It's nauseating."

"What?"

Blake rolled his eyes. "Urgh. You like her. So you'd pay money for her safety. It really isn't that complicated."

"I don't have that much money anymore."

"Duh! But I've already told your girl everything, so she can dumb it down for you." He glanced over at Chief Dunby. "And she punched me in the face! That's police brutality. What are you going to do about that?"

The Chief folded his arms. "I don't see anything wrong with you."

"Seriously?" said Ellie. "You started it."

"I slapped you like once."

"Frank!" Chase grabbed at Frank's arm.

Frank lunged for Blake. His heart was hammering, his hands balled into fists. But Chase had his arms around him and hung on determinedly. "Let me go, Chase!"

"Don't. He's not worth it."

"It's okay, Frank," said Ellie. "I appreciate it, really. But I took care of it."

Frank sagged back against Chase. His hands still shook, and it was all he could do to keep that shake out of his voice. "You don't have any right to do that, Blake. We're not friends anymore."

"We never were. Besides, this wasn't even my idea…"

"Oh no," said Ellie. "You're caused enough trouble already today." She shoved him towards the Chief. "You're going to go on inside, and you're going to tell the Chief exactly what you told me."

"Okay, but you promised a deal if I cooperated, yeah?"

"Yeah. I'll make sure this entire parking lot of police officers don't beat you up, how does that sound?"

Blake looked at the grim faces surrounding him. One officer wore a knuckle duster and pounded a fist into his open palm. Blake gulped.

"Officer Evans!" the Chief shouted. "What have I told you about taking weapons from the evidence locker?"

Officer Evans grinned sheepishly and hid the knuckle duster behind his back. "Sorry, Chief."

Ellie gave herself a little shake as Blake left. "There's something I need to tell you, Frank."

"I can't believe Blake would do something like this. I'm so sorry, Ellie. I should've believed you when you said he wasn't my friend." Frank shoulders sagged. He'd only been buying Blake stuff because he was his friend, and he wanted to make him happy. Not to force him to hang out with him.

"None of this is your fault, okay? I want you to know that before I tell you this."

Frank nodded.

"Blake was hired to kidnap me. And to demand a ransom. So you'd be forced to go to your parents for a large sum of money."

"Oh no," muttered Chase.

"What? Guys, you're doing it again."

"Blake was hired by your parents so you'd admit you needed their help." Ellie shut her mouth tightly, waiting for Frank's response.

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"It is pretty ridiculous," growled Chase. "But kind of does make sense."

When they'd realised he was serious, Frank's parents had said some pretty mean things. If he thought he was grown up enough to keep his job all by himself, he could do everything else by himself too; there'd be no more supplementary funds coming into his bank account. Then he'd realise how good he had it. But that didn't mean they'd commit a crime; that they'd hurt Ellie. Frank could feel his fists tensing again. "How do you even know that, Ellie!"

"Blake told me."

"He's lying."

"Listen Frank," said Ellie, a growl creeping into her voice. "Someone kidnapped me, and I didn't know what they were planning to do to me. I was scared. When Blake hit me I completely flipped out. And that scared him pretty dang good. There is no way he was lying."

"Well he did hit you, so maybe you got confused."

"I'm not confused!"

"My parents aren't criminals!"

"They've treated you terribly. Just like Blake. You can't keep making excuses for them. If you don't believe me, you should ask them yourself."

Frank swallowed hard. He didn't want to be mad at Ellie. But he'd had enough of everyone thinking he needed their help. "Okay," he said, fighting to keep the anger from his voice. "I will." He turned towards Blake's car.

Ellie sighed. "Frank, I'm sorry, wait."

"I'm not mad at you. I just… you're just wrong." Frank shut himself in and gripped the steering wheel tight.

The passenger door clicked open. It was Chase. "Can I come with you? I think it might be a good idea if you had backup on this."

"Yeah, you can come."

"Ellie's just…"

"Ellie's just trying to help. She's right though. I should talk to my parents." Frank could feel his shoulders tensing already. Whatever they felt about him, they were still his parents. He was a cop, and he should protect them. "They'll know why Blake's telling lies about them."

"Frank, I don't think Blake's…" Chase cut himself off with a grumble, then sagged back into his seat. "Okay. I'll be here for you whatever they say."


	3. Chapter 3

His parents hadn't taken him seriously at first. In the hospital, after Frank had been stabbed protecting Chase, they'd seemed understanding. Perhaps he didn't want such a dangerous job anymore. He was allowed to quit; he didn't need to get himself fired. Frank had tried to explain he wanted to take responsibility for his job himself. He wanted to feel he'd earned it. But his parents had kept insisting they help.

Eventually Frank had gone to Chief Dunby.

"You realise what you're asking for, Honey? You won't last a week."

"Chase has been teaching me. He says I'm not as big a liability as I was."

"Really? You're still outstripping McCain in what you cost this department."

"I'm doing better than Chase? That's good, right?"

"No! If you want this, you realise there are rules you must follow, a whole bunch of stuff your parents have been covering your tail for. If you really want me to refuse them reimbursing the department, you've got to take responsibility for those things yourself. Can you do that?"

"Of course, I…"

"No getting to work hours late. No commandeering public services for joy rides. No video games on the job. You have to do police work, while you're at work. Most importantly, don't annoy me. And, as you're going to have to cut down on what you cost this department: no breaking furniture, office equipment, police vehicles, other peoples' vehicles…"

That list had gone on for quite some time.

When the Chief was done Frank sat there, palms sweating, throat tight, and for the first time since he'd come to his decision seriously questioning his resolve. "That's," he'd stuttered, "a really long list."

"Sure is. But everyone else follows those rules."

"Even Chase?"

"Even McCain. Mostly. But he isn't in my office asking me to turn down the one thing that makes his employment bearable. That being said, if you want me to do this, I will. Either you'll finally pick up your game, or I'll be rid of you for good."

This was what he'd wanted. He couldn't back down because it was going to be hard. "I can do those things, Chief. Promise."

A few weeks later, Frank had severely jammed a photocopier. When the Chief had refused Frank's parents offer to purchase a new, top of the line, replacement, and he'd told them why, they'd realised their son was serious. They'd gotten mad. And they'd fought. All Frank could remember of the argument was his father's final words:

"You think I wanted an idiot son who I have to do everything for into his adult years? No! I wanted an heir who could help me run the hotel business. But I got you, and we've done everything to help you despite that. And you throw it back in our faces? Fine. You won't be seeing any more money from us. But you'll be back when you inevitably screw up. You'll realise soon enough you're always going to need our help."

His father's words had cut. That night Frank had cried himself to sleep. His parents hadn't contacted him since. And he'd made no attempt to contact them either.

Now he stood outside the Honey Apartments. The building loomed over him. Frank gulped. If Ellie hadn't been so awesome and freed herself, he'd be here doing exactly what his father had predicted. But he was here to clear his parents name. Maybe that would be enough to earn their love again.

Chase squeezed his shoulder. "Hey, I'm with you all the way on this."

Inside, Debbie, the receptionist, almost jumped when she saw him.

"Hi, Debbie. Are my parents here? Can you ask if they want to see me? You know, I can come back later…

"They're here," said Debbie, pushing her glasses up her freckled nose. "And they'll see you. They told me if you showed up to send you straight up." She smiled faintly. "They must miss you."

"I hope that's all it is," Chase grumbled.

Chase hadn't said much on the way, even though Frank had talked nonstop about how horrible it was that Blake would not only do this to Ellie, but drag his parents into it too. "You believe what Blake said, don't you, Chase?" Frank asked as they stepped into the lift.

Chase shifted his weight. "I don't want to believe him."

"Oh. Good."

Chase sighed.

The suit Frank's parents used when they were onsite was on the first floor. Frank's Mom was waiting at the apartment door. Beatrice Honey had a bright red perm, thick makeup, and was positively bouncing as she saw her son. She threw her arms around Frank's neck. "Sweetheart, I haven't seen you in ages!"

Frank hadn't realised how much he'd missed her. He snuggled against her shoulder, enjoying her warmth. "Hi, Mom."

Beatrice put her hands on his shoulders. "Let me look at you. You've been remembering to brush your teeth and change your underwear?"

Frank turned pink. "Mom…"

Beatrice glanced over Frank's shoulder. "Oh, you've brought a friend."

Chase pulled himself up a little straighter. "I'm actually here as a colleague. We've got to ask you and your husband a few questions."

"Ellie was kidnapped. They wanted a ransom, but then…"

"Oh, you mean your little friend?"

Frank's jaw tightened. He'd almost forgotten his mother's refusal to admit Ellie was more than a friend to him. "Mom, we're dating."

"Oh, of course, sweetheart. Why don't you come inside and speak with your father? If it's a money matter you know he has his head far more around that sort of stuff than I ever did."

The inside of the apartment had a single bedroom which Frank's father had converted into an office, a small kitchen, and a living area with two sofas and a coffee table. Harold Honey stepped out of the office. He had red hair, a moustache, and wore a neat business suit. His moustache quirked to the side as he saw Frank. "It's about time you showed your face again."

Chase shifted awkwardly next to Frank.

Frank forced himself to square his shoulders. "You haven't tried to talk to me either, Dad."

Harold's gaze drilled into Frank, and though it must have only lasted a few seconds, it felt like an eternity. Finally, Harold relented, and his shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry, son. Why don't you tell us what's going on? You know we're always here for you."

Frank hadn't expected his father to back down so soon. Maybe the time apart had given him time to cool off. "Ellie was kidnapped today. They demanded a ransom."

"That's terrible. And so you came to us. Look, I won't tell you I told you so. This is an extenuating circumstance, so you don't have to worry about what we said earlier about no more handouts. We can't let her get hurt."

"Dad, it's okay. I don't need the money."

Harold's eyes narrowed. "What? Frank, I know you were pretty adamant about us not helping with your job. And we respected that…"

"No, you didn't. I had to go to the Chief before you'd even admit I was serious!"

"Frank, sweetheart," said Beatrice, "surely your friend's safety is more important than this independence business you've gotten into your head."

"Will you please listen to me? I don't need money, because Ellie escaped. She's fine, mostly."

"What?" said Beatrice. "But we…"

"Beatrice!" Harold snapped.

"I mean, she's such a slight young thing. I'm glad she's safe of course."

"She has police training, Mom. She's better at self-defence than I am. She brought the guy in herself. It was Blake."

Beatrice and Harold exchanged a look.

"You're quite sure it was him?" said Beatrice.

"Yes! Ellie arrested him."

"I always knew he was trouble," muttered Harold. "He was a layabout. Quite possibly a liar too. I hope you didn't listen to anything he told you. I'm sure he'd try to blame someone else."

Relief swelled in Frank's chest. "That's what I said!"

"Frank," said Chase, lowering his voice as he pulled him aside. "I know you want to believe your parents are innocent. But your Dad's leading you, he's… I don't know how to explain this so you'll get it, but you need to keep asking them questions."

"Okay. I'll try." He was a cop. Asking questions was part of his job. It didn't mean he didn't believe his parents. Just that he was being through. "Blake accused you of hiring him to kidnap Ellie."

Harold snorted. "Preposterous. I told you he was a liar."

"Well, did you hire him?"

Beatrice gasped. "How could you ask your father that?"

"I'm just doing my job."

"A job we got for you," said Harold. "You should be more grateful."

Frank flushed. "This is why I didn't want you paying for stuff anymore!"

"Frank…" Chase began.

Frank waved him away. "You need to answer the question, Dad. Ellie got hurt. It's important."

"She got hurt?" said Beatrice.

"Not bad. Blake hit her. She hit him back a lot harder."

"I didn't think that of Blake," said Beatrice, shivering a little. "But I suppose if Ellie decided to take such a dangerous job, she has no one to blame but herself."

"Mom!"

"Don't yell at your mother, Frank. And why would we hire someone to kidnap your girlfriend?"

"Working theory is, you wanted him to come to you for money," said Chase. "Frank already made it quite clear he didn't want your help. When you couldn't see a way of convincing him, you thought you'd force him. Now answer the question."

Harold sniffed, looked away and folded his arms. "Of course not."

The faintest hint of doubt began to cloud Frank's mind. That was the same look his father had had when he'd told him Tommy the turtle had gone away to live on a farm. But then Frank had found Tommy's shell in one of his Dad's old suitcases, along with a bad smell. "Dad, do you know why Blake decided to kidnap Ellie?"

"No."

"Chase is right, you were pretty mad. You told me I was ungrateful and I wasn't smart enough… but I'm an adult, Dad. I don't need you to help me with everything, especially if I don't want it. I… that's why I have to ask you these questions."

"You keep asking the same question! Don't you believe your own father?"

"No!" That single word hung in the air. Frank hadn't known that was what he believed until he said it aloud. "No…I don't…" he continued, stuttering a little. "You're being really defensive."

"Of course, I'm defensive!" Harold burst out. "I have done everything for you, son. I sucked it up and did whatever I could to help you succeed in this world. We helped you pass school, got you a good job. Even if it was in the public services. And you need our help to keep that job. But you threw it back in our faces. So, what if we decided to get a little creative in making you see sense? It's not like you'd be able to figure it out for yourself!"

His father's words had made him storm out before, but this time the pain wasn't as sharp. "What is 'creative' supposed to mean?" Frank ground out through gritted teeth.

"Oh, I have to spell it out for you, huh? We paid Blake to kidnap your girlfriend. He wasn't supposed to hurt her. Just scare you into realising you can't do this by yourself, and you still need us. Is that simple enough for you?"

"Bloody hell," Chase said under his breath.

The living room tilted around him. Frank sunk heavily into the sofa. "You did do it."

Beatrice sighed. "And you were worried I was going to say something stupid."

"Oh, come on," said Harold, tugging at his jacket. "You must understand, this was only done because we were worried about you, Frank. It's not that big of a deal. Don't kids do this sort of thing as a prank? Just think of it like that."

"This is actually very serious," said Chase. "You hired someone to kidnap a police officer. Which is not only a crime but pisses us all off."

"You need to mind your own business. This is a family matter."

"Yeah? Well now it's a criminal matter."

Frank's throat was dry. This couldn't be happening. The people he had looked up to for most of his life had betrayed him. They'd hurt the person he cared for most. Something started to burn down inside him; the same feeling that had come over him in the police station parking lot. "I almost hit Blake because of what he did to Ellie. You're lucky you're my dad."

"How dare you. After everything we've done for you!"

Frank rose to his feet. "How dare you! You put Ellie in danger, and it could have been worse. I don't want your money. I don't want you treating me like I'm stupid."

"Sweetheart," said Beatrice. "We're your parents. It's our job to look out for you."

"I don't mind if you want to help me. But when I want help. And not by putting my friends in danger." Frank shook his head and turned to the door. He couldn't be here any longer. It hurt too much.

"Don't you walk out of this room!" Harold snapped.

Rage swelled inside him, and Frank whirled around. "Don't leave town," he shot back. He stormed downstairs. He found himself back in Blake's car, breathing hard, hands shaking. He couldn't even remember walking through the hotel lobby.

A few seconds later, Chase sat down in the driver's seat, puffing from trying to keep up. "I thought you were going to drive away without me." He caught his breath. "Are you okay?"

"I'm really angry, Chase."

"Me too. I really didn't want it to be true. Blake could've been lying."

"But he wasn't. We're going to have to arrest them, aren't we?"

"Someone will have to. But you don't, no. I don't think they're going to disappear or anything."

Frank had done some dumb things in his life. But his parents? This was beyond stupid. "What's wrong with them? Didn't they realise they were going to get caught? And they keep saying something's wrong with me!" He pounded a fist on the door. "Don't they know they could go to jail." Frank squeezed his eyes shut. Despite everything, he couldn't let that happen.

"Frank, I'm really sorry."

"Could you just take me home?"

* * *

**A/n: **Next chapter! If you're reading please leave me a review.


	4. Chapter 4

Ellie had only met Frank's parents briefly that night in the hospital, after Frank had been stabbed protecting Chase. By the time she and Frank had started dating he was fighting with them over not needing their help to keep his job, and then they weren't even talking. It was no time for introductions. Ellie wasn't sure what to think of them but had decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. Frank did have problems, and it wasn't her place to blame them for being overprotective. But she didn't feel that way anymore. Not after what Blake had told her, and certainly not after Chase filled her in on what had happened at the Honey apartments. Frank's parents had put her in danger, and now she couldn't even walk to her car without becoming a nervous Nellie.

It was only when she'd gone to her car that morning, the same place Blake had got the jump on her the day before and she'd woken up hours later in his basement, that she'd realised she wasn't quite as okay as she'd thought. She'd been so jittery she'd dropped her keys three times. Then she'd nearly drop kicked her neighbour when he said good morning over the hedge. Driving to work she'd realised she didn't just want Blake to get what was coming to him. She wanted Frank's parents to as well.

Ellie was late by the time she arrived, so she went to the coffee station in the police station lobby. She needed caffeine and it didn't matter how good it tasted. She grabbed a cup and squinted at it distrustfully.

Someone tugged on her sleeve. Ellie swung around. "Frank! Don't sneak up on me like that."

Frank smiled at her faintly. Far from his usual level of excitement when he saw her in the morning, he almost seemed shy, or guilty. "Hey."

"Hey yourself. I didn't think you'd be here today. I figured you needed your space yesterday, I hope that was alright."

Frank hesitated for a moment, then hugged her. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Ellie held him tight. She needed the hug too. "Sweetheart, I told you. None of this is your fault."

After a long moment Frank withdrew, shaking his head. "No, I mean for not believing you when you said Blake was telling the truth. You're usually right about, well, everything. I'm sorry I didn't trust you."

Ellie swallowed hard. She felt betrayed enough by his parents, and she barely knew them. Imagine how Frank felt. "Chase told me what happened. I don't know what to say."

Chase barrelled up beside them at the coffee station, his focus entirely on the source of caffeine. He grabbed a cup and let out a deep sigh, his shoulders slumping. He shovelled three spoons of instant coffee into the cup, grumbling the whole time. "You'd think the Chief would at least let us get a decent coffee machine out of the budget. But no, he probably spends it all on donuts." He spotted Frank. "Frank, what are you doing here?"

Frank frowned. "You know the Chief said I wasn't allowed to be late anymore."

"I mean today. He can't be mad at you if you need to take a few days off after what happened."

"I can't take a few days off!" said Frank, throwing his arms wide. "I have to be here to help my parents."

Ellie stiffened. "Help them? After what they did?"

"They're still my parents."

Ellie shook her head. "Yeah, I guess. But they committed a crime; they've got to answer for that. And don't you think you're a bit too close to this?"

Frank shifted his weight away from her. "I'll be fine, Ellie."

"Yeah, well you'd better tell me if there's anything you want me to try with them, and quick," said Chase. He finished putting together his coffee and grimaced at it. "If I don't hurry up and start interviewing them the Chief is going to yell at me again."

"You arrested them already?" said Frank.

"Not exactly. They agreed to come in. But they brought their lawyer with them. The Chief wants me to interrogate them because I was there yesterday, and it'll make it harder for them to lie. But that means I have to talk to their lawyer. Yay for me. I hate lawyers. Why can't they talk to you straight?"

Frank grabbed Chase. "I need to be there too."

"Ow, careful," said Chase, as the coffee slopped down his arm. He flicked it off. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Ellie's right; you're too close to this."

"I know what they did was pretty stupid. I still have to be there."

"Stupid's not the word I would use," Ellie growled.

Frank's eyes narrowed. "Huh?"

Ellie closed her eyes briefly. She had to remember how hard this was for him. "Look, just tell Chase what you want to tell your parents. Whatever it is, I'm sure he'll do it."

Chase nodded. "Of course."

"I don't need your help. Just let me come to the interrogation with you."

"We're not trying to force you to accept our help," said Ellie. "We know you don't need that right now. But we're both here for you, understand? You don't have to do this alone."

Frank looked at his feet. "I know that. But I need to do this."

"Okay, you can come," said Chase.

"Chase!" said Ellie.

"I'll be okay, Ellie," said Frank. "You don't need to worry."

"Just clear it with the Chief first, please?" said Chase. "Or he'll have my head."

Frank headed off to find the Chief.

Ellie was starting to get a sick feeling down in her stomach. "Chase," she said. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"Me either. But what should I do, tell him no? If we keep trying to help him when he doesn't want it, we're as bad as his parents. You told me once that he'd surprise me." Chase shrugged. "Just let him figure it out for himself; I think he does need this."

"Damn it, you might be right. And you're using my own words against me, that's not fair." Ellie drew in a steadying breath. "I just don't see why it's so important to him after everything they've done."

Chase put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah…"

"I know you handled Frank's friend. But he still kidnapped you. And it was because of Frank's parents."

Ellie leaned back against the coffee table. "I know this is hard for Frank. And I get he wants to help them, I guess." It was hard to admit it out loud. But at the same time, doing so relieved some of the tension that had plagued her all morning. "But right now, I couldn't care less if Frank's parents ended up in jail."

* * *

Frank waited outside the interrogation room, arms folded, watching his parents and their lawyer through the one-way mirror. Chase didn't think he'd ever seen the younger officer look so serious.

"The Chief says I shouldn't go in."

"It's alright, Frank. You can still hear everything they say, but they won't be able to see you. And I'll make sure they admit what they did." Despite what he'd told Ellie, Chase wasn't sure Frank could handle another session with his parents. At least the Chief had the authority to tell him no; he was the boss after all. Yesterday's conversation had been so awkward. Chase wasn't sure how Frank had kept calm long enough to get a confession out of his father. It would be interesting to see how they would behave when their son wasn't in the room. With no one to talk down to, maybe they'd be more reasonable.

Frank swallowed. "Don't be too hard on them."

Frank didn't want his parents to get in too much trouble. But Ellie wanted them in jail. His two best friends were wrapped up in this whole stupid mess, and Chase wasn't sure how he was going to stop them both getting hurt. "That depends on them. But it'll be alright, I promise." Chase squeezed Frank's shoulder, and then stepped into the room.

Along one side of the table, facing the mirror window, Harold, then their lawyer, then Beatrice sat. The lawyer had glasses, greying hair, and a briefcase open in front of him to reveal a stack of paperwork. He probably thought it made him look intimidating, or at least important. Chase steeled himself.

"I was wondering how much longer you were going to keep us waiting," said Harold.

"We're not having this interrogation for your convenience."

"Yes, well, I've decided that it would be prudent to clear this whole thing up as soon as possible," said Harold. "That's why I've brought my good friend, Arnold Anaconda."

Arnold stood to his feet and held out a hand. "I'm here to make sure you don't try and pull what you did yesterday – angering my clients and forcing a completely overstated confession of misplaced guilt."

Chase's head spun, and he completely missed the cue to shake Arnold's hand. "Excuse me?"

"I'm afraid we were a little angry with our son yesterday," said Beatrice. "Harold was upset. And he may have said some things he didn't mean."

Chase sat himself down begrudgingly. This was going to be painful.

* * *

They'd been going back and forth for over an hour. Chase was struggling to get the lawyer to admit to what had been said yesterday, and Arnold was trying his hardest to convince the cop there'd been a misunderstanding.

"I don't think it's working," said Frank.

"Are you kidding?" said Ellie. She'd come into the outer room a few minutes after Chase had started the interrogation and put a hand on Frank's shoulder. She'd withdrawn it almost immediately, and now stared through the window, arms folded and completely focused. "Chase has them cornered."

"No, I meant I don't think they're convincing Chase. The lawyer's using a lot of big words, but he's not even convincing me."

"You mean it's not working for your parents? Frank, they brought a lawyer. They have no intention of admitting they did something wrong. Is it that hard to say sorry?"

Frank couldn't tell if she was deliberately ignoring how this was affecting him, or if she was just distracted. "Ellie, I don't want them to go to jail."

"Well, they're not doing much to stop that, are they?" she shot back.

Frank fists tensed. He shouldn't be mad at Ellie. "Do you want them to go to jail? They don't deserve that."

"They may as well have kidnapped me themselves."

"But you took care of Blake."

"Frank…"

"I'm not saying what they did wasn't wrong. But if Dad goes to jail he'll get himself beat up within a week. They could do community service or something. They wouldn't like that at all."

Ellie wouldn't look at him. "Well if they want community service they can be more cooperative and I'm sure Chase will offer it to them."

Frank couldn't understand why Ellie was being so stubborn. He reached out and brushed her arm. "Ellie." She relaxed a little under his touch. "Can't you go in there and offer it to them?"

Ellie pulled away from him sharply. "What?"

"The Chief said I wasn't allowed to go in."

Ellie chewed her lip, then shook her head. "No. I'm not going in there. And I'm sure as hell not offering them an easy way out."

Frank's throat tightened. "You do want them to go to jail."

"No, I just… I want them to answer for what they did. They can't pay their way out of everything. Guess they're going to finally learn that."

"I know they made a mistake. But can you just give them a chance? I'd go in, but I don't want to make the Chief mad, and you can just…"

"I said I'm not going in there! Frank, the only way they're going to get out of this is if we give that damn lawyer some excuse to say we've done the wrong thing. And Chase isn't going to let that happen." Ellie glared through the window, jaw set in a hard line. She still refused to look at him, and right now all Frank wanted was for her to see him. He didn't want to do this by himself. But they were still his parents.

"Guess I'll have to give him an excuse," said Frank quietly.

"What? Frank, wait."

Frank stepped past her, not meeting her gaze lest she give him some look that would deter him, and entered the interrogation room.

Harold went rigid as he saw his son. "Frank? I didn't realise you were out there."

"That much was obvious," said Chase.

"I really don't think this is appropriate," said Arnold, adjusting his thin-framed glasses. "It was bad enough he confronted his parents yesterday. Don't you have some rule about being too close to an investigation?"

Chase cleared his throat. "Frank, what are you doing in here?"

Frank stood beside Chase and put his hands on the back of the hard-backed chair in front of him. "I… I just wanted to say…"

"Frank, dear," said Beatrice. "We've got this under control. Why don't you toddle back outside and let Officer McCain finish clearing us?"

"You won't admit it, will you? You're this close to going to jail and you still won't say you're sorry."

Harold folded his arms. "Sorry for what? You're taking this out of context, son. Just let your colleague handle it."

He'd tried. There wasn't any other way. Frank gripped the chair, lifted it above Chase's head, and then hurled it into the nearest wall. The wall rattled. The chair splintered and sagged down into a sad little heap. Frank slammed his hands, palms down, onto the table in front of his father. "Just admit you did it!"

"Frank, you stop throwing furniture right now!" said Beatrice.

He'd meant to push it a little further, but his mother's words snapped him out of it. Frank blinked, and his father's startled expression came into focus. He didn't look scared. He just stared up at his son, like he was finally seeing him. And all it had taken was throwing a chair.

"Frank, what the hell are you doing?" said Chase.

"This is completely inappropriate," Arnold spluttered. "Not only are you not following correct procedure, but now you're threatening my clients? I hope you don't think you're going to pin anything on them now; you've completely compromised this investigation."

Harold wasn't listening to his lawyer; he was still staring at Frank. "You did that on purpose," he finally said.

"I would've rather you just said you were sorry," Frank said quietly, all trace of the rage he'd put into breaking the chair gone. He broke his father's gaze and headed to the door.

Ellie was waiting outside, arms folded. "Where are you going?"

"I need to see the Chief."

"No, you hold if right there." She stepped past him and blocked the door into the hallway. "You did do that on purpose, didn't you?"

Frank looked away. "I got mad."

Ellie's voice rose. "No, you did that on purpose. Right after I said the only way your parents would get leniency is if we screwed something up. You threw that chair to give that lawyer an excuse."

"Come on, Ellie. You know I'm not that smart."

Ellie jabbed him in the shoulder. "Don't you play stupid with me, Frank Honey. I know you too well."

"Okay, fine! They're my parents. I had to do something to help them."

"And what about me?"

"What do you mean?"

Ellie stepped back. "Seriously?" Her voice caught in her throat.

"I know I probably screwed up keeping my job. But I don't care about that right now. I wish they'd given me some other option."

"They did. You could've let them admit what they did. Or have you forgotten they had me kidnapped?"

"But you were okay."

"I'm not okay!" Ellie burst out. Her voice was rough already, and now tears filled her eyes. "I thought I was but, I… I was unconscious for I don't know how long. It doesn't matter how easily I took Blake down. Before that he could've done anything he wanted to me and I couldn't have stopped him. You know how terrifying that is?"

Frank had always thought of Ellie as fearless. She was better than him at everything, yet she always seemed to know when he needed help, even though others would have dismissed him as stupid or a waste of time. It hadn't quite occurred to him he needed to be there for her too. He reached for her hand. "Ellie."

Ellie pushed him away, wiping at her eyes. "No. Go see if you can salvage your job, if that's what matters to you. But you may have lost more than that."

"It doesn't. Ellie, I…"

"I need to go check my makeup." Ellie bolted for the rest room.

Frank was left standing outside the interrogation room, alone. He glanced back through the window. Chase and the lawyer were shouting at each other across the table. He'd known creating havoc would put his job on the line. It had never occurred to him it would threaten his relationship with Ellie. He gathered himself, then headed up, slowly, to the Chief's office.

* * *

**A/n: **Grumpy Chase is fun to write. Frank and Ellie are not having a good time. Please leave me a review if you take the time to read! Thanks.


	5. Chapter 5

It was too much to process, and Frank's thoughts wandered to the previous weekend, sitting with Ellie overlooking the ocean. He'd bought her ice cream.

"You don't have to buy me stuff," Ellie had said. "I know you're still trying to work out your budget."

"But I like buying you stuff, because I like you. Besides, you just taught me how to change my tyre myself. Properly. It's so much easier when you have something to hold the car up on. I didn't even know that guy was in the back of my car."

"Wait, what guy?"

"You called him 'Jack'."

She'd giggled. Frank loved her giggles. "You mean the car jack."

"You're good at fixing stuff, and it doesn't end in having to call a handyman, or the fire department, like when I try by myself. So, you deserve an ice cream. You're so smart, Ellie."

"I like that that doesn't bother you."

"Why should it?"

"Believe it or not, some guys don't like to think their girlfriends might be smarter than them."

"Well, that's silly. What happens if you're kind of dumb? There'd be hardly any girls who'd be good enough for you, because they'd be too smart for you."

"You know, sometimes you make a lot of sense."

"It wouldn't work for me anyway." Frank's parent's reaction to him going behind their back to stop them helping had still been fresh in his mind. "I'm worried my parents are right. Adulting is hard and I'm not sure I can do it by myself. Maybe I do need help. But at least your help is nice."

"Frank you're not an idiot. You just see the world a little differently. And still needing a bit of help is fine. You're actually trying to learn. Adults just shouldn't treat other adults like children just because they're still figuring some things out. You don't treat me like I'm stupid either, and I like that. Even when I do dumb things like lock my keys in the car."

"Who hasn't done that? I once locked mine inside Horse."

Ellie had nearly dropped her ice cream. "Inside…?"

"Well I dropped them in the punch."

"Why were you letting Horse drink punch?"

"It was non-alcoholic! I'll only made that mistake once."

"There, you see? Who else would make sure the police animals get to responsibly join in the fun?"

"That's what I keep telling everyone."

She'd snuggled up against his shoulder. Her closeness had sent a shiver through him. "You make me feel comfortable being myself."

"So do you, for me." And Frank had thought how lucky he was that the most important thing in his life he wasn't in danger of screwing up.

"Honey, what the hell were you thinking?" The Chief's voice snapped him back to reality.

Frank looked up. "Huh?"

Dunby glared over his desk. "You're not listening to a word I'm saying, are you? I told you I expected you not to do anything stupid."

"I'm sorry I broke the chair."

"I don't care about the damn chair. Accidentally breaking furniture used to be your standard Monday morning. You threatened suspects, on purpose!"

"Technically I didn't…"

"Technically if picked up a chair and threw it would you feel threatened?"

"Yes. But you're kind of scary anyway." Frank slumped in his chair. There was no point lying to the Chief. Frank's plan had not been as clever as he'd thought. "I don't want my parents to go to jail. I figured if I yelled at them, because we're not supposed to, we'd have to just give them community service or something."

"If they want community service they can start by admitting they've done something wrong," the Chief huffed. "And you could've asked me or McCain about that, instead of throwing chairs."

"I asked Ellie to go in and ask, but she didn't want to."

The Chief raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'm not surprised. Your parents did kidnap her."

"It wasn't them; it was Blake."

"Close enough. Would you like to go in an interrogation room with the guy who stabbed you, Honey?"

Frank's hand went to his side. Then he put his face in his hands. "I knew I was going to get fired, and I didn't care. But I was so worried about my parents, I didn't think of Ellie. I really screwed up, Chief."

Dunby was silent for a long moment. "Please don't cry in my office. It makes me uncomfortable."

"I'm sorry," Frank sniffed.

"And I'm not going to fire you."

Frank lifted his head. "You're not?"

"No. But I am suspending you. You're going to take some time off, and I'm sending you to see a counsellor too. What your parents did to you and Officer Phillips has obviously messed with your head. I don't want to see you again until you've sorted yourself out."

Frank swallowed hard. "Thanks Chief. But what do I do about Ellie? I don't even know if she'll have me back; I already knew I was punching above my weight. But that doesn't matter. I just want her to be okay."

Chief Dunby held up a hand. "I'm not a counsellor; that's why I'm sending you to one!" He shook his head, and then added with a grumble: "But maybe it wouldn't hurt to take the time to talk to Officer Phillips too."

* * *

Frank shuffled out of the police station, hands in his pockets, staring at the asphalt. He headed across the parking lot, towards the train station. He hadn't left work this early in months, ever since he'd started following the rules, and it was the strangest feeling. He felt lost, and it wasn't simply the prospect of not being able to come to work for the next couple of weeks.

"Hey." Ellie leaned against the hood of her car.

Frank stumbled to a stop. "Hey yourself."

Ellie wouldn't look at him. "I was going to take the rest of the day off. But I got out here and found I couldn't convince myself to leave, not yet. So, do you still have a job?"

"Yeah. The Chief suspended me though."

Ellie shrugged. "You did throw a chair."

"Yeah." Frank settled himself against the hood of the car beside Ellie. "I need to apologise to you."

Ellie allowed herself a quick glance up. "Go on."

"I wasn't thinking about you. But now that I have, I do understand how you feel. When Chase and I were kidnapped by those robbers, I was scared. And I blamed myself for letting it happen. But at least I had Chase there. It must've been really scary to be all alone."

Ellie's shoulders sagged. "It was. A little. I mean, I was scared at first, but I took care of Blake, and I'm not scared of him anymore. But today? Everything's making me jumpy. I couldn't face your parents. They didn't, physically, do anything. I don't know why I'm scared of them, but I am."

Frank took Ellie's hands. "They're still my parents so I had to try help them. But you're my girlfriend, and I should've thought of you first. I'm sorry I was so selfish. And I'm sorry about how my parents treated you; I promise I won't let them hurt you again."

Tears filled Ellie's eyes. "Thank you, that's all I needed. But you can't control what your parents do, any more than they should try to control you."

"Maybe if I told them they could pay the Chief to lift my suspension, on the condition they leave you alone, that would work. That's what they want anyway." Frank lowered his gaze. "And that's whether you want to stay with me or not."

"Frank, look at me. You don't have to do that. And your parents are not coming between us." Ellie put her arms around him.

She wasn't leaving him. A sob caught in his throat, and Frank buried his face against Ellie's shoulder.

"Aw, Frank," said Ellie, her voice catching. "It's going to be okay."

"I just wish," said Frank, as he held Ellie tight, "that my parents would treat me the way you do."

* * *

Frank's parents were so frustrating. Chase was grateful that this interrogation, and sitting through that awkward conversation the day before, was all he had to put up with. He couldn't imagine what Frank and Ellie were feeling. Worse still, he could do nothing to fix it. Nothing but make the people responsible admit what they'd done, and in that area, Chase was slamming up against a brick wall.

Ellie was not as okay as she thought. She was confident, not jumpy like she'd been this morning. She'd never hide from anyone who made her mad. And Frank was loud, but he wasn't aggressive. His behaviour in the interrogation room made it clear this was seriously affecting him.

"You're going to pay for this!" said Arnold, as he threw his arms in the air. "I'm going to have this police station investigated, Officer Honey fired…"

Chase groaned and put his head on his folded arms. He was so over this.

"Well Arnold's right about one thing," said Harold. He hadn't said much since Frank left. Either he simply hadn't realised his son was outside listening to everything he and Beatrice said, or what Frank had done had finally knocked some sense through his thick skull. "You're not going to have much luck pinning anything on us now. However, Arnold, I won't have you go after Frank."

"It's well within my capabilities…"

"He's my son! You're a great lawyer, really, but I only hired you to get us out of this."

"I have to recommend you don't phrase it like that."

"Frank threw a chair! It doesn't matter. We've won, alright? So, can you please… please just shut up."

Arnold sat back down and folded his arms. It almost looked like he was pouting.

"You haven't won anything," said Chase. "I still have questions to ask you." Unfortunately, he would be spending more time with them. "But maybe you should come back tomorrow. We're getting nowhere." With everyone's emotions running so high, they all needed a break. It wasn't like Frank's parents were going to skip town. And Chase needed time to think through the repercussions of what Frank had done, and how he would convince the Chief it wasn't Frank's fault.

Once he left the room, Chase walked quickly to get ahead of Frank's parents. He didn't want to be within earshot any longer than necessary. As he passed the windows overlooking the station's parking lot, he paused. Frank and Ellie stood beside Ellie's car, hugging. A long, tight hug. Wrapped up in each other's arms and holding on like they didn't want to let go. Chase's heart caught in his throat.

"Harold, all these cops are looking at us. Why do you think they're so angry?" said Beatrice.

Chase's fists tensed, and he whirled around. "I hope you're happy with yourselves."

Harold sighed. "I thought you said we were free to go for now?"

"Take a good look." Chase jabbed a finger at the parking lot. "You want to protect your son. But you nearly ruined the best thing he has going for him."

Beatrice and Harold stood beside him at the window. Beatrice gasped and grabbed her husband's hand. Harold said nothing.

"You think he wanted to hear you weasel out of taking responsibility for hurting Ellie like that? She isn't some tool you can use to get your way; Frank cares about her. We all do. I don't care if you made a mistake. The least you could do was admit it to Frank and Ellie, to say you're sorry, to…" Chase gritted his teeth. Frank had caused enough trouble already, he shouldn't be pushing things by commenting on his suspects parenting. "You know what? Forget it. Come back tomorrow once your lawyer friend has had a chance to twist everything to your advantage."

"Officer McCain?" said Harold.

Chase rolled his eyes to the ceiling and turned back to them. "What?"

"Frank has been arguing with us for months. He cares about his work, but he put his job on the line to help us. I don't know what he thought he was doing, but I know he did it on purpose. And…" Harold glanced outside, where Frank and Ellie were still hugging, and swallowed hard. "I don't think we realised that someone like Officer Phillips could be seriously interested in our son. So maybe you're right. Now that Arnold's gone, if you're happy to continue the interrogation, maybe we can talk about what actually happened."

Chase folded his arms. "You mean you're going to give me a confession?"

"Maybe. Maybe we can work out something that doesn't cause use too much trouble, but will help make up for what we've done to Frank. And Officer Phillips."

Chase shook his head. They were still looking for loopholes. But it was more progress than he'd made so far. He gestured them back to the interrogation room. "Yeah, that would be a good start."

It was sad that it had taken Frank and Ellie showing affection to believe Ellie felt the same way about Frank. Frank may not have been too bright, but what did that matter? If this was what Frank had to put up with his entire life, no wonder he'd had enough. When this was over, Chase promised himself he would do everything in his power to make sure Frank and Ellie were both okay.

* * *

**A/n:** It's pretty much my head canon that the horse Frank rides in the game ends up being his friend and comes to parties. I mean, Frank did invite him into his pool. I'm not sure what I'm doing for the next chapter, got to work it out. Parent problems aren't something you can work out so simply… argh I'm sorry, Frank. Please leave me a review!


	6. Chapter 6

Frank threw his keys onto his kitchen counter and sunk onto the sofa with a sigh. He'd been back at work for a week. There'd been a mountain of paperwork on his return. Whenever he did too much paperwork the letters always got jumbled up and back to front, and it took twice as long to complete. He was still glad to be back. He was lucky to have a job after the stunt he'd pulled.

The counselling sessions had gone better than Frank had imagined. He'd expected his counsellor to spend a great deal of time telling him off for throwing chairs, seeing as the Chief had sent him there. She'd simply asked him why he'd felt he had to do something so drastic. Frank had said it was to get his parents out of going to jail. And she had suggested it was because it was the only way he could get them to listen to him.

So, they'd talked about his parents. And not just about what they'd done to Ellie. At the end of it all, Frank had wished he'd spoken to her when he'd first wanted his parents to stop overparenting. That was a word she'd taught him. It was good to have someone tell him it wasn't he who had the problems. What his parents had done was a result of their own failures, not his. He was right about taking responsibility for his own actions – like throwing the chair. But he wasn't responsible for how his parents had been treating him.

A splash sounded from the backyard. It was followed by a whiney, and then Chase's voice, cussing.

Frank yelled out the backdoor. "Horse! What did I tell you about knocking before you come into people's yards?" The animal's presence wasn't surprising. Horse often wandered into his yard, and despite telling him multiple times, Frank had failed to teach him proper manners around visiting friends.

Chase's voice, and the splash, were more puzzling. Frank stepped out onto his patio to find a crumpled paddling pool beneath Horse's hooves.

Chase leaned against Horse's rear end, trying to push him, unsuccessfully, out of the pool. "It won't hold water if you stand on it. No! Don't eat it."

"He think's its an air mattress," said Frank.

Chase startled, and then gave up shifting Horse with a groan.

"What are you doing in my back yard, Chase?"

"You're not going to question the horse?"

"I'm still trying to teach him. But I know you know to knock on people's doors. I mean, you told me in the first place."

"It was supposed to be a surprise. I figured since you and Ellie have had such a rough few weeks, and you can't use your parents pool anymore, that I'd throw you a pool party here."

Horse started chewing on the rubber in earnest.

"So much for that idea."

"Aw Chase, that's sweet. I don't think we all would have fit in that pool anyway."

The sliding door clicked open. "Frank? What's going on? Chase told me to come over." Ellie stepped into the backyard and frowned. "What the heck are you two doing?"

"Chase was going to throw us a pool party. But Horse ate it."

Chase shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry. I really didn't plan this very well. I don't even know how Horse got over the fence."

He looked so dejected, and Frank didn't want him to feel that way. He stepped over and put his arms around him.

"Frank, I don't need a hug."

"Sure you do."

"Fine."

Ellie giggled.

Frank pushed Chase back so he was just holding his shoulders. "Seriously, Chase. My parents always got me stuff. But coming from you, an inflatable pool means more. Even if Horse ate it."

Chase cleared his throat and shuffled his feet. "Well, I was kind of hoping I'd get to use it with Natalia later."

Frank's phone rang. It was his father. Frank's stomach sunk. His parents hadn't been calling him too often lately. Since they'd been forced to clean up the beach at Krabby Cove, they'd been kept busy. He couldn't be sure they were avoiding him. Although his father had sounded grumpy last time he'd called; perhaps he blamed Frank for what they'd had to do. Frank had told his counsellor he felt bad about it, and she had told him how they felt wasn't his fault.

Frank sat down on one of his patio chairs. "Hi, Dad."

"Frank," Harold cleared his throat. "How are you, son?"

Frank felt his chest tightening. "Good."

"I just wanted to let you know how your mother and I are doing. We're nearly finished cleaning up the beach. You know, when I told Officer McCain we could work something out I was thinking along the lines of us buying the department something."

"Technically that's illegal, Dad. If you're using it to get out of paying for crimes."

"Well, yes, technically, I suppose."

"And cleaning up the beach isn't as much work as if you had to go to jail."

"Listen Frank, I know you don't really want to talk to us right now. But I just wanted to check how you're doing? Chief Dunby told us you'd been off work and seeing a counsellor."

"Well, I'm back at work now."

"That's good. I'd hate to think we'd made things difficult for you with what happened in our interrogation."

"You didn't make me throw that chair, Dad. I chose to. And I need to take responsibility for my own actions now."

Harold was quiet for a moment. "You know we're always here for you, if you do need us."

"I know." Frank said. "But you have to let me tell you when that is, not before, okay?" His counsellor had told him he had to stand up for himself. He was an adult, and just because they were his parents didn't mean he couldn't have boundaries.

"Okay," his father said gruffly, "if that's what you want."

"Ask him if his counsellor understands his special needs," Beatrice's voice came from the background.

Frank swallowed hard. He might have finally got his Mom and Dad to listen to what he wanted. But they still thought there was something wrong with him.

Ellie sat down beside him and put her hand on his shoulder.

Harold grumbled something in reply, then his voice became clear again as he spoke into the phone. "Well, it's good to hear your voice again, Frank. You can call us again whenever you're ready."

"I… I will. Bye, Dad." Frank hung up. He drew in a steadying breath.

Ellie rubbed his back. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I think so. That went better than I thought it would. But I still don't think my parents think I'm capable of anything. At least they're not trying to force me to accept their help, I suppose." Frank wiped quickly at his eyes.

Chase shooed Horse off the destroyed pool and onto a patch of grass. He grabbed one of the patio chairs and sat down in front of Frank. "I know it sucks. And I know they're your parents. But that doesn't mean what they think of you is right."

"But they've known me forever."

"Maybe that's the problem. You've changed, Frank. And sometimes people you've known forever aren't going to be able to see it, or like it, or, I don't know, maybe they liked you better the way you were before. But I've been working with you over the past few months, and I can see how hard you're trying. I mean, think about it. If you were so incapable of holding down your job by yourself do you think Dunby would've let you stay?"

Frank shrugged. "He did suspend me."

"But he realised something was wrong and sent you to get help too. That's the nicest thing I've seen him do for anyone. You really are doing a lot better than you were; I've seen it. I told you before: I'm proud of you. And I still am."

Frank smiled faintly. "That's really nice, Chase. I'm going to give you another hug."

"Of course you are." Chase didn't protest further, and slapped Frank on the back when he finally released him.

"We can still do something. We don't need the pool to swim. Why don't we swim in the ocean?"

Chase cringed. "In the ocean? Are you kidding? Have you seen the sharks in there?"

"Maybe ice cream would be safer," Ellie suggested.

"I like buying people ice cream."

"No, I wanted to do something nice for you two. I'm buying everyone ice cream," said Chase firmly.

"Can Horse…"

"Not for Horse! He's already eaten. I'll go bring my car around. I parked it down the street so you wouldn't know I was here."

Frank grinned. "Oh, yay. I like your car too."

"You can't eat ice cream in it," Chase shot back over his shoulder.

Ellie grasped Frank's arm. "Hey, I'm proud of you too. I wanted you to know that."

Frank blushed. "Thanks, Ellie. I'm proud of you too."

"Aw, Frank, for what?"

Ellie had stuck with him, even after what his parents had done to her. And when he'd been stupid, not thinking about how it had affected her, she'd forgiven him. There were too many things. She was just awesome. Frank put his arms around her and squeezed her tight. "For just being you."

* * *

**A/n:** Seriously, have you seen the sharks in Lego City: Undercover? If you've ever made poor Chase try to swim in a part of the ocean the game doesn't want you to… holy crap it's terrifying. Hope you enjoyed the story, please leave me a review!


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